Farewell
by StayStrongNWM
Summary: Hyuuga Neji has never lost a fight. Though this time, it's coming dangerously close to loosing. Just as the young shinobi accepts his fate, someone takes his place. Facing his enemy, this mysterious person take the fatal blow his opponent meant to struck him with. Neji just doesn't understand. "Why would you do such a thing?"


**_Farewell_**

_What had happened played before his eyes like a dance in slow motion. Slowly, ever so slowly, he watched the girl run up to him, her red hair waving behind her as her eyes showed all the less hesitation. As an awfully tragic dance she'd jumped in front of him, taking the damaging blow his opponent meant to land on him. Her bright green eyes had been spread open wide as the long sword struck her in her chest, and he could recall the raw sound of the grunt that escaped her lips as his attacker pulled his weapon out of the girl's body. For a moment he'd stood there, frozen, unable to simply understand what happened. Then, he'd struck his last kunai through the man's heart. The same determination shown in his eyes, just before his façade fell completely as he fell onto his knees._

_"W-Why did you do that? Why would you do such a thing?!" His voice came out strangely, like someone was trying to strangle him and he could barely breathe. The desperation took over as he shook the girl back and forth in his arms. Her blood was flooding fast, covering her white dress in crimson liquid as tears formed in the Hyuuga's eyes. Just as a choked cry escaped his lips, the girl's dull eyes fluttered open, barely enough to look into his eyes. A smile formed on her paling lips, as she lifted her hand to cover his larger one, as he desperately tried to slow the bleeding._

* * *

Neji shot up straight, immediately wide awake from the awful nightmare that's been plaguing his sleep for days now. He'd woken up in the same chair, panting as he tried to regain his breathing. Sweat covered his back as his eyes got used to the darkness in the room. His heart felt a relief as his eyes got sight of her and he let out a breath he didn't knew he'd been holding. "Why did you save me? I-I just don't understand" Neji's voice came out barely a whisper as he took her small hand in his bigger one and softly stroke her smooth skin with his thumb.

_Eyes had followed him throughout the city, voices whispering the newest gossip to people who hadn't seen the young shinobi running through the streets with the speed of light, carrying a young, not to mention heavily bleeding, woman in his arms. Neji reached the hospital in a record of time, and went straight for the only one he'd trust treating the girl. "Sakura-" He couldn't form words, he himself couldn't even comprehend what exactly happened on the battlefield he'd been send out to._

* * *

"Neji…?" A soft voice came from the other side of the door as his memories got interrupted. Sakura walked in with a tray of food and placed it on the small table next to the bed. Neji watched her as she started to check up on the girl laying in the bed. "Hyuuga Neji, I need to talk to you. Now" A stern voice echoed through the room, making the boy turn around in shock, facing the Hokage. "T-Tsunade-sama…" His voice still oddly strange from the lack of talking made his fears clear, even though he tried to keep up his mask of calmness.

"We don't know who she is, where she comes from or what she came to do-" Tsunade started off as she noticed he wasn't going to follow her into the hallway. "As the Hokage, I can't take any risks-" She continued, seeing the grip of Neji's hand tightening around the small hand of the girl. "Neji, as she awakens…" The Hokage couldn't quite finish her sentence. Nobody has ever seen the Hyuuga boy as he was right now. Many of her ninja had come to her office, confessing their worry over their comrade, and seeing Neji right now, Tsunade herself didn't know how to deal with the situation.

* * *

"Tsunade-shishou-" Sakura's voice brought them both back from their thoughts. "She's waking up" The pink haired medic whispered slowly, making Neji's head shot straight up. His pale eyes met her emerald ones, and he couldn't help but let the tears trickle down his cheeks. _"Neji" _Her voice was barely audible, but he heard. It sounded like magic, his name on her lips and he felt himself breaking down on her lap as she smiled at him.

"Just why did you do that?!" His voice hoarse as the tears he held in all that time spilled from his puffy eyes. "Why?!" Neji asked again. The girl smiled as she took him in her arms, and made him look up to her. "Because, you did the same for me, Neji" She answered him softly, making the boy tremble slightly as he tried to contain his emotions. "But I-I am…" "The one, who saved my life" The girl answered for him. Neji cried in her arms, his pain of the past and all his bottled up anger, fear and sadness leaving him for the first time.

* * *

_He couldn't quite remember falling asleep, all he could recall was the feeling of being safe as she'd held him. And when he woke up; she was gone. Neji had gone on a rampage, trashing around searching for the girl, breaking and smashing things in frustration, yelling at every person and thing he came across, until he got to the lake and broke down. _

_Never had the Hyuuga felt so lost in his life, so empty. Over a girl he didn't knew, and yet he did. Sinking onto the ground, he wrapped his arms around his knees and focused on the moving water in order to regain his calmness. _

_Neji just couldn't find his peace of mind. Not by watching the water for several hours, not by running until he almost collapsed from exhaustion, not by training until he fell to the ground. It was two days after her disappearance that he'd made his decision._

* * *

Packing the last few things he'd need, he closed his bag and swung it over his shoulder. Neji walked into the city, earning glances and stares as he listened to everything people were saying about him. At a certain point he'd zoned them out, focusing on the steps he was taking until he reached the gates of Konoha. Turning around, the Hyuuga took a last look at his home town.

"Neji! Wait!" The voices of his friends sounded closely, but yet so far. He turned around to the road leading away from the city, hearing the footsteps of his friends coming to a halt behind him. Sakura's hand took a hold of his shoulder, making him face her. "You're- Going to…" A simple hum came as an answer, and Neji could see that the young kunoichi understood. Turning for the last time, Neji started walking away from Konoha, his friends, and his life.

_"Farewell"_

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hey guys, this is now just a simple one shot I had a dream about J But, if you'd like, I could maybe make it a multi-chaptered fanfic? I dunno, so please review and tell me what you think! :3


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